Eric Fehr and his family will be moving to Pennsylvania.

Fehr signed a three year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

"It feels great. I am excited for the opportunity to join the Penguins," shared Fehr. "I think it's a great organization and a great team. I am hoping to go in there and make a difference."

"I'm excited to move my family down to Pittsburgh and have some stability," added Fehr. "To be there for a couple of years and really settle in. Just get to know the guys and the group there. I've heard nothing but good things about the players and the organization. I'm just excited to start my new career in Pittsburgh and to start playing hockey again."

Fehr's two year contract with the Capitals, which he signed in 2013, came to an end and he tested the free agency waters this summer.

"My agent and I talked to a bunch of teams from July 1st on," explained Fehr. "We really tried to find the best fit. We were pretty patient. We wanted to make sure that when we signed, it would be with a team that I would have a good opportunity to play and hopefully help the team succeed. Being in Washington as long as I was, we always had pretty good teams, and always had a chance at winning and that is something that is important for me. I wanted to be able to step into a team and have the opportunity to win. That is one of the things that I was really looking for."

With stars on the team to the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, and Marc-Andre Fleury where does Fehr fit in?

"I'm not exactly sure where I am going to be penciled in," said Fehr. "I've talked to the coaching staff and we aren't quite sure of the role I am going to have. I definitely feel comfortable playing third line centre position, playing against other teams top lines and shutting them down. At the same time, I have played a lot of wing in my career. If they need me to jump on the wing and try to play maybe in the top six, I think that is definitely something that interests me as well. It'll be interesting to see exactly how that develops."

Fehr is coming off a good year with the Capitals.

The former Brandon Wheat Kings forward recorded 19 goals and 33 points in 75 games.

Fehr's best season came in the 2009-2010 when he found the back of the net 21 times and had 39 points.

"I think the main thing for me is to get healthy and stay healthy," explained Fehr. "When I feel healthy, I definitely play with a lot more confidence. I've always believed in my ability to score goals. Just adding this extra defence to my game is going to help my career, and hopefully prolong my career. Just try to get healthy, make sure I do my rehab and my conditioning."

The Winkler product has had the opportunity to play with Alexander Ovechkin for a number of years, and now, with a new team he will be able to play with another superstar in Crosby.

"It's going to be interesting. I don't think a lot of people have had the opportunity to play with two of the best players in the world. It's definitely going to be a unique experience to see the other side of the Capitals, Penguins rivalry. It's something I am looking forward to."

"You want to win every game, but I am definitely going to be circling those games on the calendar. It's going to be extra special playing against your old team, and playing in the Verizon Centre arena will be extra special."

On June 3rd Fehr underwent successful elbow surgery and is working hard to get ready for his first season with the Penguins.

"Things went as well as could be expected," said Fehr. "My elbow is healing up now. I am not going to be putting up any definitive timeline on it. I am hoping to continue my rehab and really push it. Just make it as strong as I can, as quick as I can. I'm not sure exactly when I will be returning, but when I do, I want to be at one hundred percent."

 

photo by Ray Peters